YidLife Crisis: Pandemish

Jan 27, 2022 - Jan 31, 2022 | Online

Production Sponsor

Created and performed by Jamie Elman & Eli Batalion

Virtual event!

YidLife Crisis at the Segal Centre? It’s bashert!

UPDATE: Due to current government guidelines, this production of "YidLife Crisis: Pandemish" will no longer be performed live, but will be recorded and available for online viewing. All ticket buyers will be contacted by email with details. If you have any questions, you can always contact our team at 514-739-7944 or at boxoffice@segalcentre.org.

After years of making you laugh on various platforms, Chaimie and Leizer are coming to you from the main Segal stage! Overflowing with their signature thought-provoking shtick and heimish kibitzing, co-creators Jamie Elman & Eli Batalion are making their Segal theatre subscription debut with comedy, music, video, and more surprises in a love letter to their hometown and community.

No need to leave your house! A recorded version of this performance will be available for a viewing period from Thursday, January 27, 7 p.m., to Monday, January 31, at 11:59 p.m., to watch from the comfort of your house. Watch it once, twice, or on a loop during those 5 days - hey, we won't judge, we'll probably be doing the same thing!

TICKETS*
Single tickets: $18
Household tickets: $36
(On sale until January 31, 5 p.m.)

*Please note: Links to view the event can only be sent out during Box Office operating hours. Those who purchase a tickets outside of operating hours will receive their watch link during the next day's Box Office operating hours.

BOX OFFICE HOURS

Thursday, January 27: 12:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Friday, January 28 to Sunday, January 30: 12:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Monday, January 31: 12:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

LISA'S NOTE

“You know and love them from their award-winning comedy web series, and now they are performing a long-form hilarious show from our main stage. And if this is your first time seeing them, welcome to the mishpocha!”

CREATORS' NOTE

Well, here we go again, folks…

When we got the call from our old friend Lisa at the Segal Centre about doing a special show in the upcoming season, our reactions were:

“Nu, what took you so long?”

“Wait, you want us to go onstage for this thing?”

“You have read our cheesebagel rider, yes?”

We felt that it’s bashert - Yiddish for destined to be or fated. We’ve grown up seeing productions on this stage, the de facto centre of Jewish performative culture in Montreal (other than the Cavendish Mall food court) and, in fact, the very place we debuted our humble YidShtick in our first ever live presentation in December 2014.

Then a funny thing happened on the way to the (Atwater) Forum… a once-in-a-century, capital P, pandemic. You already know the tsuris that followed… We scrambled to adjust, like everyone. Everything went digital, Segal-wide and YidLife-side. We created an online special, “A Call to Montreal” (did Jew see that one?), which was a bittersweet opportunity leaving us hungry to return to the Segal stage to do a proper show. (It also left us hungry, as usual, and all the more in need of our cheesebagel and ruggelach green room demands requests.)

After some time, patience, and a combined 15-20 new pounds, we got another call from the Segal, this time saying it looked like the coast was, eh, clear-ish and in fact we could go back to something like “normal” shows. We got excited, and immediately came up with a title: Pandemish, because that’s the world we’ve been living in, upside down, constantly changing, one step forward, 2-metres back.

Well, dear friends, if you’re reading this, it means you are about to see the show. Funny thing is, as we’re writing this, it certainly won't be the one we imagined, namely, with YOU sitting in the audience - remember when we used to do that? Seems like… just last month, albeit briefly. “Der Mensch Tracht, Un Gott Lacht," - man plans and God laughs… It’s a semi-hilarious cosmic joke but it makes the message behind Pandemish all the stronger - that no matter what, the show must go on, or as the Yiddish proverb says, the Fish Must Be Gefilte’d. Necessity is the mother of Yid-vention. We hope that our little break from reality does for you what it’s done for us: shown us we can be resilient and creative in the face of mishigas, and that we’re all gonna get through the narishkayt by sticking together and laughing.

Mit rekhtn fus, and till we meet again in the fleisch,

Jamie & Eli/Chaimie & Leizer

CREATIVE AND PRODUCTION TEAM

Created and Performed by Jamie Elman* & Eli Batalion*
Stage Manager Craig Francis*
Associate Production Manager Mike Carvalho
Costume Louise Bourret
Props Fruzsina Lanyi
Lights Chris Wardell
Sound Peter Balov & Steve Marsh
Head Dresser Karine Brisson-Bouchard
Production Assistant Stephen Maclean Rogers
Lighting Operator Natalie Demmon
Stage Hand Noah Mayr
Orchestrator/Arranger Robbie Grunwald
Illustrator/Slides Kurt Firla
Head Carpenter Stephen Schön
Head Scenic Painter William Patrick

Video Captured and Edited by Sean Sandler

SEGAL PRODUCTION TEAM
Director of Production Marc Laliberté
Technical Director Sylvin Sévigny
Technical Director, Production François Lemieux
Associate Production Manager Mike Carvalho
Associate Producer Kasia Leskiewicz
Associate Producer Paul Brian Imperial
Associate Producer, Contracts & Special Projects Sean Sandler
Company Manager & Rentals Coordinator Stephen Maclean Rogers
Head Tech, Theatre / Head of Lighting Chris Wardell
Assistant Head of Lighting Noah Mayr
Head Tech, Studio Natalie Demmon
Head of Sound Steve Marsh
Head Carpenter Stephen Schön
Head Scenic Painter William Patrick
Head of Props Fruzsina Lanyi
Head of Wardrobe Louise Bourret
Head Dresser Karine Brisson-Bouchard
Wardrobe Coordinator Elisabeth de Medeiros
Set-Up and Strike Crew Gordon Bennet, Myles Keily-Baxter, Hannah Kirby, Bruce Lambie
Sales & Outreach, Pandemish, Carrie Mazoff

* “The participation of this Artist (these Artists) is arranged by permission of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association
under the provisions of the Dance • Opera • Theatre Policy (DOT).”

YidLife Crisis would like to thank:

The incredible crew behind Season 1 of YidLife Crisis
Justin Efraim and the team at Cat Around Films
The Elmans
The Batalions
Christine Long
Eddy Portnoy
Fariha Naqvi Mohamed
Mark Bendit
Mike Donis
Mikhl Yashinsky
Paul Flicker
Philip Kalin
Rivka Augenfeld
Ryan Gelinas
Sonny Moroz
Zev Moses

Content Advisory
The Segal Centre believes that our patrons can determine what is distressing, triggering, or offensive for themselves, and what is appropriate for their children. We prefer not to set specific age-based restrictions but, rather, offer content advisories for each show. Of course, should you be unsure based on the advisories, please contact us and we will be happy to help you with your decision.